Law enforcement's limits in wiretapping the Internet

WIRETAPPING THE Internet is nothing new. Law enforcement agencies for years have been able to seize information from communications providers, as long as they obtain a court order.

But new technologies have hampered law enforcement officials' ability to quickly retrieve information that a judge has determined they are entitled to.

A few problems appear to have relatively easy fixes. For instance, some e-mail services are not subject to the wiretap law because their parent companies are classified as information services and not as communications providers.

A change in the statute to include all e-mail -- regardless of the classification of the parent company -- should bring such products into the fold.

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